We’ve all had that stomach-turning feeling when your car hits a pothole, and it seems to be happening more than ever recently. 1 in 5 of Britain’s roads are currently affected by potholes, meaning a huge rise in car breakdowns over the last few years.

Potholes are caused by water seeping into the roads surfaces, freezing and creating wide gaps that create holes in the road. In order the count as a pot hole, many councils state the hole must be at least 40mm deep (the height of two 20p coins!). Have a read below to find out what exactly you can do if your car is damaged by a pot hole.

You’ve hit a pothole

You can still claim if the pothole you hit wasn’t 40mm deep, it might just be a little harder. Potholes mostly cause damage to your tyres, axle and steering alignment. What you should immediately do is pull over in a safe place, if you suspect there’s damage to your car. Gather evidence – take photos of the pothole with something beside it for reference, a shoe for example. Obviously don’t do this on a motorway! Take note of your exact location so you know which pot hole did the damage, also note the time and date and the damage to your car.

Report the pothole

Even though you may not succeed in getting compensation, you should always report the pothole. Reporting to your local council puts pressure on the authorities to fix the problem.

Claim for it!

You can claim for the damage to your car if it was caused by a pothole and the council failed to property maintain that road. Depending on the damage to your vehicle, you can claim and get all of the money back, or some drivers have won part of the cost. Usually, car damage claims tend to be £300-£500. Claims can be resolved in as quickly as four weeks, or sometimes as long as 8 months.